TCU's 4-3 victory eliminates Virginia from MCWS
OMAHA, Neb. — Sam Stoutenborough and two relievers limited Virginia to five hits, Cole Fontenelle drove in two runs and TCU eliminated the Cavaliers from the Men’s College World Series with a 4-3 win Sunday afternoon.
The Horned Frogs (43-23) will try to extend their stay when they play Tuesday in an elimination game against Oral Roberts (52-13), which lost to Florida 5-4 in the nightcap. The victorious Gators (52-15) will play Wednesday against either the Golden Eagles or the Horned Frogs, and will have two chances, if needed, to get the one win that would secure a berth in the finals.
Virginia (50-15), meanwhile, lost a second straight one-run game and went 0-2 for the first time in six MCWS appearances. Four of the first five MCWS games have been decided by one run.
“We just outlasted them,” TCU coach Kirk Saarloos said of Virginia.
The Cavaliers entered the game batting a nation-leading .334 for the season, but they never found a rhythm against Stoutenborough, Garrett Wright (3-2) and Ben Abeldt.
Virginia starter Connelly Early (12-3), who came in having allowed two earned runs in 13⅓ innings in the NCAA tournament, gave up single runs in the first and third innings and was relieved by Brian Edgington to start the sixth.
Edgington, who pitched a complete game in the super regional-clinching win over Duke last week, allowed a base hit and walk before Elijah Nunez’s two-out single gave the Frogs a 3-1 lead.
Ethan Anderson homered leading off the seventh — Virginia’s first hit since the first inning — but the Frogs got that run back the next inning when 9-hole batter Austin Davis drove a ball over center fielder Ethan O’Donnell for an RBI double.
Virginia was within a run in the eighth when Harrison Didawick singled, stole second, moved over on a fly and came home on O’Donnell’s RBI groundout.
Abeldt pitched the ninth for his second save. He struck out .400-hitter Kyle Teel and got Anderson to ground out before Casey Saucke singled up the middle and took second when center fielder Elijah Nunez bobbled the ball. Abeldt struck out Anthony Stephan to end the game.
TCU, which lost 6-5 to Oral Roberts on Friday, has won at least one game in each of its six MCWS appearances. And Fontenelle, batting .519 in the NCAA tournament, drove in runs with a sacrifice fly and groundout against the Cavaliers.
In Sunday’s finale, Hurston Waldrep struck out 12 in six innings, and Florida homered three times en route to the win.
Waldrep (10-3) allowed one run in his six innings despite scattering seven hits and walking three. Oral Roberts had at least one man reach base against Waldrep each inning, but the projected first-round pick came up with the big pitch when he needed it most and finished with double-digit strikeouts for a third straight outing.
“Overall, the end result was good. And that’s all that matters,” Waldrep said. “But took me a little bit to settle in. It’s a big stage. And obviously a lot of feelings — a lot of adrenaline and emotions that come with this game. So, able to settle in.”
Oral Roberts starter Harley Gollert (10-2) went into the game off his two worst outings of the season, and things didn’t get better. The left-hander pitched into the third and gave up homers to Ty Evans, Josh Rivera and Luke Heyman and left with his team down 5-1.
Evans’ homer was the Gators’ 133rd of the season, breaking the program record of 132 by the 1998 team.
